Ireland u20 v France u20 World Rugby Final Prediction, Preview & Odds

In this post we have an Ireland u20 v France u20 World Rugby Final prediction, preview, odds and all you need to know ahead of this game.

Game Details

Matchup: Ireland u20 v France u20

When? 6pm, Friday, July 14th

Venue: Athlone Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa

What Channel? Virgin Media Two. Also available online on the Virgin Media Player & World Rugby’s YouTube channel.

Ireland u20 v France u20 Betting Odds

Match Betting Odds

Ireland u20 – 15/8

France u20 – 2/5

The Draw – 33/1

France go into this game as strong favourites based on the current betting odds. Their odds of 2/5 imply that the French have a 71.4% chance of winning this game.

Ireland go into this game as underdogs but are still in with a chance at 15/8 of winning this year’s u20 Rugby World Championship.

Match Handicap

France u20: -7 @ 10/11

Path To The Final

Ireland u20

Pool Stage

Ireland were drawn in Pool B of the 2023 World Rugby Under 20 Championship alongside England, Australia and Fiji.

Ireland u20’s first game of the tournament came against England. The game was a closely fought contest throughout and in the end honours were even as both teams had to settle for a 34-34 draw. However, the Irish will have left the game feeling like they left points on the table as they were only able to convert 2 of their 6 tries into 7 points.

The second game of the pool came against Australia. This one was crucial, with the winner likely securing a spot in the knockout stages of the tournament. Ireland had their backs up against the wall early as the Aussies led for most of the first half and into half-time.

This young Irish side came good in the second half though and 3 second half tries along with a defensive shutout saw Ireland cruise home to a 30-10 victory and all but assured themselves a spot in the knockout rounds.

The last game of the pool was against Fiji. Ireland u20’s made light work of the Fijians as they racked up 7 tries en route to a 47-27 win and top spot in the group as England could only manage a draw against Australia in the other game.

Semi-Final

Ireland’s first place finish in Pool B set them up with a date against tournament hosts South Africa in the semi-final on the 9th of July. This was expected to be a tough game but the Irish laid down a marker early with a 2nd minute try from James Nicholson.

The winger touched down for another try shortly before the half-time interval to put Ireland in command of the game. It was a lead that the Irish would never relinquish as they powered home with 3 second-half tries including a hat-trick completing third for Nicholson.

The final score read; Ireland u20 31-12 South Africa u20, in what was a near flawless performance from this young Irish side to secure their spot in the u20 Rugby World Championship final.

Our line up for Friday’s World Rugby U20 Championship Final! 🟢#FutureIsGreen | @PwCIreland

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) July 12, 2023

France u20

Pool Stage

France were drawn in Pool A of this tournament alongside New Zealand, Wales and Japan.

The French were dominant in their opening fixture which came against Japan. They ran out winners on a scoreline of 75-12 as they crossed the Japanese try line 11 times over the course of the 80 minutes.

Next up for France was set to be their toughest game of the group against New Zealand. However, the young Kiwis proved to be little match for the French as three first-half tries from France put them well on their way to another facile victory. New Zealand were able to put up two second-half tries but it was not enough as France’s u20s went on to win on a scoreline of 35-14.

France’s last outing of the pool stage came against Wales. This game played out similarly to the New Zealand game as the French blitzed Wales from the start with three early tries. The Welsh were never able to recover from that and France would cruise to another victory on a scoreline of 43-19 to book a semi-final spot against Ireland’s group rivals England.

Semi-Final

England really put it up to France in the first half of this game and were able to take a 24-14 point lead into halftime. This asked questions of France who had usually beaten their opponents by halftime up until this stage of the tournament.

The French answered those questions with three tries in the first 20 minutes of the second half to take the lead. They would add two more to that tally before England would reply with a try of their own in the 76th minute but at that stage it was too little too late. As the final whistle blew there were 21 points between the sides, France 52-31 England.

Ireland u20 v France u20 Prediction

Prediction: Ireland u20 31 – 34 France u20

This is a tough one to call but France have been so dominant on their way to this u20 World Rugby Championship final that it is hard to pick against them here. Ireland’s u20s can keep this close but France’s firepower in attack should be enough to see them claim the trophy.

Best Bet: France u20 to score first, lead at HT & win the match @ 6/4

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